I've been sending out Panzer Is stuffed to the gills with flat damage boost medallions. For some reason their DPS when scouting is much higher than their normally listed DPS. A 200 DPS and 1k hp Panzer last a fair chunk of time but RNG encounters with unavoidable damage sneak up on you.
One thing I don't get is why you don't get scrap from destroying enemy tanks in a battle or when scouting. With no returns for defeating individual enemy tanks every game becomes an exercise in blitzing past the enemy's mobile force and nailing the command position while doing as little actual fighting as possible. If you could scrap enemies for resources there would be more of a reason to fight running battles of attrition. It would add a layer of logistical relevance to maximizing enemy damages while still minimizing your own.